The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-11-25
Friday. Nov. 20, 1887.
The Road @ uestion.

clusion has been reached. The adj
vance of the times, the great changes
which have been wrought during the
last thirty or forty years demand a
corresponding Improvement in the
public highways. At the beginning
of that period, light carriages were
scarcely known as mediums for fast
locomotion. Almost every body
travelled on horseback. where much
distance was to be covered in a short
time. The products of the country
to be transported from the point of
production, were small compared to
those of the present day. The great
increase of heavy teaming wears the
roads to far greater extent now
than then. The light carriages which
are almost wholly used for local
travel at the present day are built for
speed and the horses are being bred
with the same object in view. "A
days drive over our roads at some
seasons of the year, is liable to ruin
both horse and carriage, if driven at
the normal rate OF speed for which
both are intended, and fitted when
proper roads are provided. s.f
Denuding the country of its forests
within the period named has increas.
ed the frequency of heavy rainfalls
which tear to pieces the soft, dirt
roads, which much leaning with
heavy wagons wears into ruts, form
ing convenient channels which the
torrent soon widens and deepens
into formidable CUTTERS"
The expense in taxes which this
system of roads entails upon the
public is probably not nearly half
their cost. When the horses that
are jarnmed and crippled by travelling
on them, the heavy wagons that are
speedily broken, shaken to pieces
and worn out, the light travelling
carriages that are ruined by the mud
and knocked to pieces by ruts and
stones. are added to the bill of ex-
pense, the sums which our roads an.
nnally draw from the earnings of in.
dustry become fabulous. The com.
paratively light loads which teams
are restricted to and the slow rate of
which their bad condition
compels, III though unseen are ever
present, muat be computed and add
ed to the sum of expense which our
roads involve, in order to form an
approximate estimate of their annual
cost to the public.
Before results reach expectation q
radical change of the present system
will have to be effected. Our present
road system, if analysed will be
found to be entirely void of every
business principle. Let us look into
it. Three men are taken generally
at hazard to be invested with the
duties of county commissioners,
The duties of this responsible office
are not supposed TO interfere with
their private business. They are to
go TO the county seat and dev ote
portion Of ts0o days in each month to
the management of nearly the whole
of the public business of o popula-
ton of thirty thousand, extending
over q county 40 miles id length and
nearly half that in width, in which
there are over 600 miles of public
roads. The care of these roads and
numerous bridges are but . portion
of the duties imposed npon these
three men, to look after. and not ne
glect their own business, which by
right should claim every minute Of
their time. The law which attempts
to prescribe their duties in managing
the public roads, virtually commando
them to appoint Tom, Dick and
Harry with instructions of carte
blanc kind to take charge Of certain
sections or road and keep tie road an
order. This is really the5sum and
substance Of the specifications. This
is virtually all there is of the "sys.
tenn" Attempts have been made
under some alterations and improve.
ments of the law to add safe guards
by additional appointments, which
take something out of the treasury
but which result in no perceptlble
benefit.
No man with five grains of COM
mon sense, looking at this matter
with a business eye, would predict
any other result than utter failure.
And this is the truthful history Of
our whole road system from the time
to which the memory of our Oldest
inhabitant runneth not.
We published last week brief
statement IF the plan devised by
Deer Creek Farmers Club, for man
aging the roads in Hartford county.
their plan is simply the old plan,
which is apparently sc. hard to get
away from, They recommend the
election of three more men to be